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Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano has claimed that he can't afford to rest Lionel Messi at the moment due to an injury crisis in his squad. The Argentine had a below-par performance by his standards in the Herons' 3-0 loss to Cincinnati in the MLS on Wednesday, July 16.
Messi has been instrumental for his club in the past couple of weeks. The 38-year-old played a key role in Inter Miami's FIFA Club World Cup campaign. He featured in all of their four matches at the competition, playing every single minute before their elimination by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Round of 16.
The Argentine superstar also managed to score in Inter Miami's win over Porto at the Club World Cup, and has been in stellar form since the Herons returned to action in the MLS. Messi guided his team to three consecutive league victories against Montreal Impact (4-1), New England Revolution (2-1), and Nashville (2-1).
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Notably, he scored a brace in all three matches, becoming the first player in MLS history to record five consecutive braces. He had earlier bagged a brace in matches versus Montreal and the Columbus Crew before Inter Miami's Club World Cup campaign.
However, against Cincinnati, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was a shadow of himself. Lionel Messi has played the full minutes of the Herons' last seven matches since the Club World Cup, raising concerns about his workload.
When quizzed about his squad rotation, Mascherano touched upon the injury crisis his team is facing, which makes it difficult to rest players like Messi. He told reporters (via GOAL):
"We have to find a way to rest and still compete and win. There’s no secret formula for that. We’ll keep going from match to match trying to go out there with the best and healthiest team possible. Next will be to obtain those three points against New York and hopefully get more of our injured players healthy."
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will look to get back on track in their next MLS game. They will face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, July 19.
How did Lionel Messi perform in Inter Miami's loss to Cincinnati?
Lionel Messi had a quiet outing against FC Cincinnati. The Inter Miami skipper saw his goalscoring run come to a halt, after having scored six times in his last three MLS outings.
Against Cincinnati, Messi created only one chance and had two shots on target from five attempts. He recorded no successful dribbles and accurate crosses in the final third. Additionally, he was dispossessed five times and lost the most duels in the match (seven).
Despite the defeat, the 38-year-old has had a fantastic season with the Herons, bagging 16 goals and six assists in 16 MLS matches. With the loss to Cincinnati, Javier Mascherano side sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with 38 points from 20 matches. They are eight points behind leaders Philadelphia, but have played three games fewer due to their involvement at the FIFA Club World Cup.
